Building-block.



BATENTED SEPT. 8,1903.

B. F. VAN GAMP.

BUILDING BLOCK.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 18. 1902.

3 ODE the vertical air-shafts in such manner as to form a-ventilating-opening from one or the UNITED STATES Patented September 8, 1903.

ATENT FFICE BENJAMIN F. VAN CAMROF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

BUILDING-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,643, dated September 8, 1903.

l Application filed August 1231 1902. Serial No. 120,103. (No modeLl To aZZ whom it may concern. 1

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. VAN CAMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building-Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a building-block from plastic material of such internal construction that when a wall is pro duced bya plurality of superimposed blocks aplurality of, vertically-disposed ventilatingshafts are formed between the outer and inner facesof the wall, which shafts are transversely connected.

A further object of my invention is to form in my blocks connected bonding-grooves which shall extend around the inner faces of the block adjacentthe outer or exposed faces in such manner that when a plurality of such blocks are'associated to form a wall the bonding material will fill mating bonding-grooves in such manner as to break the joint to prevent moisture from passing through the joints from one face of the wall to the other.

A further object of my invention is to form one or more of m yim proved blocks with transverse ventilating-openings' which will pass from one of the exposed faces of the block toward the interior and connect with one of other of the exposed faces of the Wall into the interior vertical air-shaft.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a corner of joining walls formed with my im-.

U proved block. Fig. 2 is a perspective view corner-block, and Fig. 5 is a transverse sec-' tion'of a plurality of superimposed blocks.

Myimproved block isintended to beformed of any suitable plastic material which when hardened will possess the requisite stren gth-' such, for instance, as a mixture of Portland or other cement with sand and water in proper proportions.

Formed through the block are one or more vertical openings or shafts 10, as many as may be desired being formed in the block and a half-shaft being preferably formed at eachend of the block, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Connecting each vertical shaft with the upper and lower faces and the two end faces of the block shown in Fig. 2 are bonding-grooves 12, Which are located between the vertical shafts 10 and the exposed faces of the block and are preferably connected as shown in the drawings. In order to connect the vertical shafts of one wall with the vertical shafts of aconnectingwall extending therefrom at an angle, I provide the cornerblocks shown in Fig. 4, in which one of the half-shafts 10 is formed in one of the vertical faces of the block instead of in the end. In this case the bonding-grooves 12 are arranged as shown in Fig. l.

In order that the vertical shafts 10 maybe connected with the exterior of the wall in order to provide a draft through the interior of the wall, I provide a special block, such as shown in Fig. 3, which block may be placed as desired in the wall during the course of construction. This special block is provided with vertical shafts 10, connecting transverse shafts 11, and bonding-grooves 12, as in the other blocks; but leading from one or more of the vertical shafts 10 through the block to one exposed face or the other is a transverse ventilating shaft or tube 13, which thus forms a oonnectionbetween the vertical shafts '10 and the exterior or inner face when the wall is constructed. This opening may be left unclosed or an adjusting-cap 14 placed therein,

and sufficiently set they may be built into the wall in au's'u'al manner, bonding material being placed between the coacting faces and in the bonding-grooves 12, so as to form the bar or rib 15, extending entirely around each block and embedded between the conjoining faces of the several blocks between the exposed faces of the blocks and the intermediate vertical air-shafts 10, thus forming a break in the joint between adjacent blocks and serving as a stop for any moisture which might tend to creep through the joints from one face of the Wall or the other. The vertical shafts 10 are preferably so arranged in the blocks that continuous airshafts extend from the bottom to top of the wall when the blocks are associated together, and by the proper introduction of the special block shown in Fig. 3 any desired number of external connections through the shafts 13 may be formed with the external face, either. on the outside face of the wall, or preferably from the inside face, so as to thus form a ventilating-opening for any room. By means of the transverse shafts 11 all of the vertical shafts 10 are connected together so that, in effect, a continuous airshaft is formed from bottom to top through the entire length of the wall, and these grooves 11 will prevent'any moisture from creeping from one face of the wall to the other in case such moisture should get past the bonding-ribs 15.

I claim as my invention 1. A building-block having one .or more verticalair-shafts formed therethrough, a pair of bonding-grooves formed in those faces of the block which are to conjoin with similar blocks said bonding-grooves extending around the block between the vertical airshafts and the exposed faces of the block, airshafts formed in the conjoining faces of the block and connecting adjacent vertical airshafts, and a transverse ventilating-opening formed through from one of the vertical airshafts to an external face of the block.

2. A corner building-block having one or more vertical airshafts extending therethrough, a pair of half-shafts one extending across one end and the other extending across one face, and a pair of bonding-grooves extending around the block between the airshafts and the exposed faces or portions of the block.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 14th day of August, A. D. 1902.

BENJAMIN I". VAN CAMP. [L. s]

Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. H001), JAMES A. WALSH. 

